6/7/16 psst....

my2hands said:

I really would love to finally see Todd Slater do a PJ print... dude has been badass for years

*cough* Fenway *cough*

Yes!

It's difficult not to be hyper-sensitive about the art since it involves a band we're all so passionate about and see the poster artwork as a crucial element to the band's identity. For years people complained for 10C to open the floodgates to new poster artists, and I'm not going to debate that either way, but what I do want to say is that I don't think Ames had an issue with new artists coming onto the PJ scene. Ames worked hard and created a successful advertising brand, clothing brand, and design brand. What I suspect happened, in hindsight, is that Ames never counted on Brad Klausen bringing about change. Brad was brought on board to focus on the PJ brand and nothing else, which Ames couldn't/wouldn't do. Brad's talents afforded him the opportunity to create gig posters, which elevated his status exponentially and completely changed the poster game in the PJ world.

I can't imagine what it's like to create art, least of which because I can't create art. I do think if I'm Ames and it's 2000, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006 and global internet use and interconnectivity is growing by leaps and bounds and eBay and Expresso Beans have quantified and qualified just how special the '96s and '98s created by Ames are...well, that's a tremendous amount of pressure on one's shoulders. How does one hold on to that myth? How does one recreate it? How does one stay ahead? I think as artists Ames wanted to distance themselves from the dated artwork it was suddenly famous for, which it had tremendous help creating , and Coby and Barry went about growing the brand and delving into new opportunities. The band was always going to be there, they would always tour, and the posters were in demand, but it wasn't the priority.

Brad was the new guy, he was the in-house guy, Brad worked his ass off and created and bedazzled and blew our collective minds with his posters. We all loved it, and Ames took notice. Suddenly this 10C guy was getting all the love and attention. The tension and competition is natural and healthy, but how do you separate the monopoly Ames had on PJ poster art from the monopoly Brad had on PJ imagery. Ames is Barry and Colby but Ames is Jeff, it's family. Brad is 10C and Brad is loyal and gifted and talented and only doing what he was hired to do. You can't pit one against the other. Other factors played into it as well, I suspect, but eventually Brad is best playing the game on his individual terms.

So Brad takes a step back and other artists are invited to step up to the plate. We discover Munk One and Mark5 and just about everyone else from A to Z and it seems like a generation shift has occurred. This "old fan" turned 36 on Friday but I swear I can barely keep up with the fandom. I love the band, I love the shows, I love the community, but I feel like I'm somehow taking up someone else's spot. It's as though everyone else is passionate about the art and statistics and analyzing and studying setlists and tours and shows to a degree unrecognizable to me. I mention this because I want to bring it back specifically to the art. So much of the new art on the band's posters looks foreign to me, likely because I have Ames & Klausen goggles on. It's as if I feel threatened the new imagery will displace the old as the benchmark. I feel Ames was able to handle a single fellow artist, but compared against an entire shift of the market/culture they're hard-pressed to still generate real impact. Yes, a Donkey Kong or Transformers speaks to a great many of us but it does so because of nostalgia. I've never been an Emek fan but I can still appreciate the hours of thought that one invests while examining his work. I'm partial to Brad, always have been always will be, and I believe it's because of the "warmth" in his art. I can't really explain it, but no matter the imagery I feel positive energy that I take away from his art. Given my bias, it's hard for me to open myself up the new kids on the block.

To make an extremely long point short: it all started with Brad. The currents will shift...yada yada yada. We all wanted new, we got new, then new was old again, then it got weird and different but always still somehow good, sometimes great. Yet I suspect if Brad hadn't pushed things forward we wouldn't be where we are today. Ames will always be Ames but they're not the Ames I'm nostalgic about. I'm glad Brad is still doing his thing. I love Mark5 kicking ass when he does. I think I'm still too dumb to wrap my head around Emek.

@100 Pacer Great post...

Agreed. Very well thought out and constructed.

Merkin Baller said:

My poster collection isn't complaining, but my wife sure as hell is.

That's why I switched to collecting PJ guitar picks...they are easier to hide from the Mrs LOL and don't shout "LOOK!! ANOTHER POSTER ARRIVED!!" when the mail comes

Merkin Baller said:

Yup..... A lot of bands sell autographed posters too, marked up significantly more than the unsigned prints. Primus, Tool, Tomahawk, Faith No More - they've all had signed posters at the last few gigs I've been to...... I don't recall this happening before 8 or 10 years ago.

100% agree with the notion PJ helped push this trend.

My poster collection isn't complaining, but my wife sure as hell is.

At the Ben Harper show in Toronto this year they were selling his sighed prints for 35 if I remember correctly.

elwayvedder said:

Merkin Baller said:

My poster collection isn't complaining, but my wife sure as hell is.

That's why I switched to collecting PJ guitar picks...they are easier to hide from the Mrs LOL and don't shout "LOOK!! ANOTHER POSTER ARRIVED!!" when the mail comes

Yeah, the wife's eyes would roll every time a tube showed up at the door.

F Me In The Brain said:

elwayvedder said:

Merkin Baller said:

My poster collection isn't complaining, but my wife sure as hell is.

That's why I switched to collecting PJ guitar picks...they are easier to hide from the Mrs LOL and don't shout "LOOK!! ANOTHER POSTER ARRIVED!!" when the mail comes

I'm in for it soon as poster tubes will show up 1 by 1....think I will be at 9 this tour. Mrs FMe is going to be Mrs KickMe.

Just remember "honey, i swear, I had no idea. they are gifts from friends and the 10c!"